1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to panel fabrication and, more particularly, to a vacuum laminator used in display panel fabrication.
2. Description of Related Art
During fabrication of a liquid crystal display panel, two glass sheets are attached. The process is implemented in a vacuum, to prevent air bubbles forming between the sheets.
A typical vacuum laminator includes a sealed body, a first grasping member, a second grasping member, an adjusting assembly, and an alignment assembly. The first and second grasping members are positioned in the sealed body. The sealed body sustains a low air pressure. The adjusting assembly positions the first grasping member. The alignment assembly aligns the second grasping member to the first grasping member. In the laminating process, the first grasping member grasps a first glass sheet, and is driven to a predetermined position by the adjusting assembly. The second grasping member grasps a second glass sheet and is aligned with the first grasping member via the alignment assembly. The glass sheets are then attached.
The glass sheets are generally grasped by the first grasping member and the second grasping member via electrostatic adsorption or vacuum adsorption. However, glass plates for a display may have a printed circuit board (PCB) therein, which may be damaged by static electricity during the electrostatic adsorption. Furthermore, the glass plates cannot be grasped as firmly as desired during vacuum adsorption due to the low air pressure environment.